Affirmative action

From RationalWiki

Affirmative action is a term coined to describe policies designed to make up for historic oppressions, particularly racism and sexism, and for other circumstances which cause a minority to be disadvantaged, such as disabilities. These policies are most prevalent in the United States, due to its history of slavery and difficulty in getting over it.

In its crudest forms, affirmative action would mean giving some sort of benefit to a person of a historically oppressed group over that of a historically advantaged group, all other things being equal. Employers using racial quotas are an example of this.

Affirmative action was seen as a good thing when it was first started, as there was no way for most blacks or women to compete with white males on an even footing, due to the inability of blacks and women to get the jobs or educational opportunities open to white males. In essence, if a black person or a woman was able to compete with a white man for a job, then it was obvious that they had worked harder and against more obstacles than the white man, and were thus a better candidate.

However, it has come under attack recently for being a form of reverse bias against white males. This neglects the many institutional advantages white males still possess. Some states have since banned affirmative action policies.^[1]

Most interestingly, its biggest opponent on the Supreme Court is also one of the most visible beneficiaries.